Scientists Who Wrote a Novel But Who Never Had a Literature Degree

If you can be described by one of the following terms: amateur scientist, basement scientist, citizen scientist, do-it-yourself scientist (DIY scientist), garage scientist, hobby scientist, non-degreed scientist, self-educated scientist, self-taught scientist, or student scientist and someone with an apparent air of authority tells you that your claim or input should not be taken seriously because you have no "credentials" in science; that is, you do not have an academic degree in a field of science issued by a college or university, here is a page of research to help you provide a defensive response. The scientists named below ventured into the field of fictional novel writing, yet none of them has a university degree in literature. See also the note at bottom.

Poul Anderson . . . (1926 – 2001), American-born; received a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from the University of Minnesota before becoming an award-winning writer in the sci-fi, fantasty, and historical genres.

Sir Fred Hoyle . . . (1915 – 2001), British-born astronomer and physicist; coined the term "Big Bang"; sci-fi author. Co-created and co-wrote a 1961 sci-fi TV series in the United Kingdom, A for Andromeda, starring Julie Christie, later made into a 2006 film.

Carl Sagan . . . (1934 – 1996), American-born astronomer, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, cosmologist; co-founder of The Planetary Society; co-founder of the Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP, now known as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry); award-winning sci-fi author. Wrote only one novel, Contact, originally written by Sagan as a screenplay, then converted into a novel and subsequently made into a 1997 Hollywood sci-fi movie starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey.

Timothy Zahn
. . . (1951 – ), American-born; received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics from the University of Michigan, Master of Science degree in Physics from the University of Illinois; award-winning sci-fi author, including authorized Star Wars novels.

Note: Of course, you do not need an academic degree in literature as a requirement to write and publish a book-length fictional story and call yourself a novelist. The point is that you also do not need an academic degree in a field of science in order to do scientific research and call yourself a scientist, which is the general term and means you follow an accepted set of practices called the scientific method. You are just not a "degreed scientist."

You may get into trouble, however, if you choose to get more specific and call yourself a physicist, biologist, chemist, astronomer, etc., without also adding "amateur," "self-taught," "non-degreed," or the like because the default assumption is that you have academic credentials to back up your claim.

This list was researched and complied by author James A. Conrad and first published on this web page. If you see it copied elsewhere, this is likely the source from where it originated, if no credit is given. Additions and updates are welcome.